It is not a suggestion. It is not good advice for self-care.
It is a commandment—number four on the top ten list!
Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
I am raising my hand here to confess that I break this commandment regularly and I’m guessing the same is true for many of you. But why? In a world where stress and anxiety are at an all-time high, shouldn’t we crave rest? We need a buffer against the relentlessness of life, the tyranny of the urgent, the pull of busy. One popular Instagram account I follow has the theme, “Surviving Not Thriving.” Is that the best we can hope for? Why is Sabbath rest so hard?
In Exodus 31, we see how Sabbath rest benefits us and how serious God is about it: “Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death.”
Hold up! Did you catch that last part?
God declared that any Israelite who did not honor the Sabbath would be PUT TO DEATH. That should get our attention!
God even models Sabbath rest for us. “Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work.” (Gen 2:1-2) God wasn’t tired on the seventh day. Yet, He rested. And He created us knowing our bodies, our minds, and our spirit would need this rest.
So back to the question…why is it so hard for us to rest?
Maybe busyness is an actual addiction. Technology connects us 24/7 and allows us to communicate instantly. We applaud anyone who maintains an incessant level of activity and packed schedule and think, “Wow, they have it all together. I am a slacker.” Some of us may still be trying to earn our salvation through the busyness of works and don’t understand that the Gospel requires us to rest in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
Perhaps the issue is fear or shame. If Sabbath rest is to be a remembrance of what God has done for us, a reminder that our Holy God is the only source of contentment, and that He is at work through our sanctification, then maybe we are afraid of what would be revealed about our hearts in a time of rest.
Ironically, we may be too lazy or apathetic. Truly resting our body, mind and spirit requires that we be intentional. It will not happen by accident. And honestly, some of us are simply too dispassionate about our relationship with God to want any kind of examination or change.
For me, I think the problem is self-importance and pride. As a woman who tends to be a “fixer” and problem solver, I am often convinced that I am indispensable, that if I am not available to hold everything together, the world will fall apart. Basically, I cast myself in the part of God, the One who truly holds all things together.
We need the humbleness that Sabbath rest brings. We need the perspective Sabbath rest brings. We need the physical relief that Sabbath rest brings. We need the renewal Sabbath rest brings. But the bottom line is that refusal to observe the Sabbath is sin.
I confess my sin of ignoring Sabbath rest and vow to prioritize it as God does. Will you join me? Comment below or send me a message. What does Sabbath rest look like to you? How do you make it a priority?